Navigating The User Experience Design Process

First of all, what is the user experience design? This is the process of creating a better and more fruitful interaction between users and products. Improving how easily the product can be used, accessed and how enjoyable it is are all parts of this.

The user experience design (UDX or UED) process depends on quite a few factors. The project itself, the budget, and client and the deadlines are all part of making this process successful. This process analysis is a way of analyzing everything a user experiences and thinks about a product. Everything about this process is done with the end result in mind of improving the product and the experience for the user.

Key Components

This process is based on what users enjoy using, looking at, tasting, holding, etc. Due to this, the philosophy behind the UDX Process is something that revolves completely around the user and making general improvements. When the user enjoys more aspects of the product, it is more likely to be successful. In this process, it is also important to consider how the product itself will work for the customer. They need to enjoy every aspect of their experience in order for the product to launch with success.

The human elements of analyzing a product’s success is difficult to gauge, which is why there are programs and designers out there helping those that aren’t savvy with the process to achieve things in business. In today’s market, having a product is no longer enough, everything about it needs to create a positive experience for the user, but how is this achieved?

Applying The Process

Creating the best product that encompasses all of the things users want can be done by applying the following steps to ensure all of the principles are being analyzed.

Strategy – In this step, those developing their products need to ensure they have everything in order, from the brand to the philosophy of their company and long-term goals. The developer needs to recognize what they would like to achieve from the process and how they will determine their efficiency throughout. They also need to determine how important the role of the user-experience will play in their product and development.

Research – This step is about discovering what will help to make for the best experience when using the product. This can be done through interviews, observations or surveys. Developers and companies need to understand everything possible about their customers in order to provide them with a product they will love.

Analysis – Once the data has been collected, it is time to analyze it. This stage and the research stage are two of the most crucial. Having insight into the users is something that companies need in order to hit their target users and audiences better, also keep in mind current app trends. This means analyzing the people, the scenarios and how it all works together. Organizing the information collected makes it easier to use and implement. This analysis will help the designers understand if the product they have developed is appealing in the final stages as well.

Design – The design phase involves creating a workflow, wireframes and prototypes. The process involves many different experts coming together and using their best ideas in the final design. This is also a process that allows for the design to be tested and ideas to be confirmed and validated. This phase makes that possible by allowing users to access the product and then give their thoughts. From there the designers can either confirm that their work was effective or that they need to polish their ideas before testing again. They can test these designs by using wireframes of their ideas or incomplete prototypes. This allows the users that are participating in the process to evaluate the product without the graphic designs that would be added

Production – Once a design has been refined, it is put into this production phase to produce the version of the product that would be seen by users in the marketplace. Further testing sessions take place with shareholders and high-end testers. This phase produces and tests what would be the product that is launched. The visual design, the technical testing and the final development are all parts of this phase.

Beta Launch – A soft launch of sorts will be carried out once the product has been through all of the previous steps. The idea behind this stage is that test users have already interacted with the product on its own and then with all of the graphics etc. applied as well. When a company has noticed enough positive feedback and has developed something that a customer would enjoy, a beta launch is the best way to assess this on a larger scale without releasing to the entire marketplace.

Evaluation – An evaluation is part of every step but after a beta launch, it needs to be decided if the product met all of the usability, accessibility and pleasure needs of the users to graduate to the stage of being fully launched. This evaluation could result in the final launch, or it could result in going back to the drawing board based on the evaluation of success as determined by the company in the strategy stage.

Working Out The Kinks – Designers and developers need to assess what the major problems are and then resolve them. In order to do this, they will need to re-evaluate some of the steps in the mobile user experience.

Repeat Steps When Needed – Repeating some or even all of the steps is all part of making the product something that is incredibly appealing to users. Going through the process completely and then needing to do it all again only means the company has learned more and more about their clients and what would make the product enjoyable to them.

Final Launch – Once users have been analyzed, and the products have been made to their satisfaction, it is time for the final launch of the product. Having gone through the user experience design process, there is a much higher chance for success rate on a larger scale.